1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lateral guide for a slide-out system for a cupboard including a furniture member and a pull-out furniture section, with the lateral guide including at least one first rail securable to one of an inner side of a top of the furniture member and an upper surface of the pull-out furniture section and having a plurality of guide rollers supported on vertical axles, a second, substantially U-shaped rail securable to another of an inner side of a top of the furniture member and an upper surface of the pull-out furniture section and having cheeks along which the guide rollers roll upon actuation of the slide-out system, and stop means for limiting displacement of the first and second rails relative to each other in a pull-out direction.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Lateral guide of the type described above are well known. They serve for retaining cupboards in an upright position. The conventional lateral guides can include two or more rails. When the lateral guide includes more than two rails, it can be formed as a telescopic or differential device. When a cupboard slide-out device, which is secured on the bottom of a cupboard with a pull-out section, includes a stop for limiting relative displacement of rails which form the slide-out system, it is preferable and advantageous and also necessary to limit relative displacement of the rails forming the lateral guide which is secured to the top of the cupboard.
Austrian Patent No. 404,313 discloses a slide-out system for a pull-out drawer. The known slide-out system includes a carcass rail securable to a stationary part of a piece of furniture, a pull-out load-carrying rail, and an intermediate rail with three flanges which serves as running tracks for running rollers. The rollers are provided on the rails. One roller is provided at a front end of the intermediate rail at which a lower vertical web is provided. Above this roller, there is provided a recess. A stop, which limits the pull-out path, is provided between the load-carrying rail and the intermediate rail. A stop for a roller, which is provided at the rear end of the load-carrying rail, is arranged on the lower flange of the intermediate rail and can be lowered relative to this flange. The stop projects through a recess which is formed in the lower flange. The stop is supported on a spar which extends in a longitudinal direction of the rail and is formed of an elastically deformable material. The spar adjoins the bottom side of the flange and has one of its end supported on the flange. The stop has a shape of a hook that engages an edge of the recess through which the stop projects. The spar is displaceable in a longitudinal direction of the rail.
The lateral guides of the type described above have guide rollers the support axles of which extend vertically. They roll along side cheeks of the U-shaped rail upon actuation of the slide-out device.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a stop for reliably limiting the pull-out path upon displacement of a U-shaped rail relative to a carcass rail without substantial additional expenses associated with provision of the stop and without adversely influencing the functioning of the slide guide.
This and other objects of the present invention, which will become apparent hereinafter, are achieved by providing stop means which includes at least one stop supported at one of front end and rear end of one of the cheeks of the second rail and projecting into a recess in the one of the cheeks of the second rail, and a spar for supporting the at least one stop for pivotal movement with respect to a plane of the one of the cheeks, with the spar being formed of an elastically deformable material, extending in a longitudinal direction of the second rail, and having one end thereof supported on the one of the cheeks.
According to the present invention, a relatively large stop is provided within the circumferential profile or inside the rail contour, which stop reliably prevents overtravel of the guide rollers.
The novel features of the present invention, which are considered as characteristic for the invention, are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its mode of operation, together with additional advantages and objects thereof, will be best understood from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, when read with reference to the accompanying drawings.